To JWA and 95CWChateau and YoGeorge and all others who helped me jump from the E-van ledge,

Thanks so much for advice and input. I am the proud owner of a 2006 e150 Chateau passenger model that I snatched out of Galveston yesterday night. I took the prevailing advice and went passenger van with OEM AC rather than getting into a cargo van and after-market AC situation. The van:

--was extremely reasonable in price, a little North of $5K but way, way, way South of $10K
--is a crazy but I think really cool sea-foam grey/green in color
--is impeccable in body and paint except one gouge + scratch + paint transfer in driver's side rear...easy to miss it if not looking closely...will look into getting a body shop to do a cheapo repair on it...Bondo and touch-up paint. Will be ugly but not as ugly as now
-- is without any rust or chrome pitting-- has only two lines of superficial rust ( I believe) in a seam in rain gutters down top of cab. Underside amazngly free of corrosion despite sea-side lifestyle van led
--has a sliding door which I think is really cool
--has 180K but runs extremely well and pulls better than my 5.4L F150, has complete maintenance records and was nicely taken care of
--has AC that will freeze you the %$#@ out of the joint
--wanders the damn road and clunks lightly, needs new everything in terms of suspension, steering control bushings etc (advice welcomed on shocks, control arms, etc. I am thinking Moog parts and a set of Bilsteins)
-- has interior that is 8.5 or 9 out of 10. Really nice. Only thing I don't like is that driver's seat is broken down and a little faded. I am thinking swapping foam and fabric from one of the rear buckets will greatly help the problem
--In short, is Da ^%$#ing Bomb. Really pleased with it and looking forward to tweaking it to fit my needs (carrying up to 4 big dogs at a time and equipment to train them in Texas summer heat).

Much, much thanks to 95CW Chateau who actually is the one who found the van for me, put me onto the deal, helped me decide if price was right, and has given me all kinds of helpful info, ideas, links, and advice.

Now I am going to try and post a couple of photos but I may or may not be able to get it done.

k9dr

PS-- Got it done by using album feature, but what a pain in the a$$. What is the easy way?

PPS-- It is greener than it looks in the photos. Like, really green. Pale, but like a seasick frog. But I dig it.

PPPS-- I got this to be my practical vehicle to use for transportation and business while my 2003 Fx4 is down getting an Eaton M112 blower and a bunch of other twisted stuff put onto it. Then I see on internet that one of the members here did this so-called "Lightning swap" on a Chateau E-van. Uh-oh. I have two Lightning blower swap setups ('99/00 and '01+) and I am just sick enough to build a 500-hp dog-hauler.......Stop me before I kill again.

 

Great looking van, you're going to love it.

 

Want to sell me those running boards?

 

Could be. I am not crazy about them. They would be a major pain and expense to ship-- the one on passenger side is one piece and long as Hell.

k9dr

 

Congratulations!

And so it begins...

At least your Kool-Aid was Green, (Light Tundra) mine was more Brown (Champagne Clearcoat Metallic),

Here's ours hard at work:


Lots of good advice here, some veteran folks don't hang around too often, use the search feature inside this particular forum for subjects you want to focus on, and reach out to the participants for specifics.

I found a write up on putting a factory tach into my gauge panel, took a while but it now works perfectly, and is really handy mod, and I would have never done without the hardworking friendly folks here.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ap-w-tach.html

Supercharger? sheesh, for that kind of money I'd contact U-joint off-road for a 4WD conversion first! (Oops, did I say that out loud?)

Enjoy the jump, (ride) it's not too hard of a landing, and thanks for letting us live vicariously through your vehicle search.

Best

 

All right now---we've made progress all the way to buying one of these things----you'll soon see they're definitely a love/hate thing and yet few of us really want to do without an E-Series. Kudo's to 95CW for helping spot and help you get into what seems a great deal. Heck I'm gonna rep him my own self!

Your seat can be refreshed with new factory foam pieces---not cheap but easy to install DIY, easy being subjective mind you. There MIGHT be an issue with the lower seat frame---they're notoriously thinner than pre-02 models and tend to tear apart requiring disassembling and repairing that first.

I bought my '00 E250 with 203K miles, also ran very strong and has been trouble free since 2008---now has 274K miles on it. Change the oil (@ 3-4K miles max), plugs (@ 50-60K absolute max), transmission flush, monitor coolant pH level (or flush/change every 2 years) and take care of any other maintenance issue ASAP---you should have years of trouble-free use.

Front end I'd start with finding a big truck shop to do the refresh, see if they'll install your parts. Use nothing but Moog--available from Amazon--and check into urethane radius arm, axle pivot and sway bar bushings. I-Beams are fine as delivered, ball joints will take care of any issues there.

Front coils can also be had from Moog/Amazon for $100 or less (pair, delivered)---since the front end guys are already in there good time to toss those in too. Naturally a good alignment is necessary.

Before trashing those running boards use them a few months first. Having one van with and one without I greatly prefer the one with----much easier entry and egress. Maybe I'm lazy or getting too old---still like the ones I made from scratch.

In the end if you like this van that's all that's necessary----what others think of it generally doesn't mean a thing. I'm sure this will serve your needs quite well and I personally hope to see you here as often as possible. Your perspective and experience will benefit others who might be facing your same sort of decisions.

BTW since you're now one of us there are obligations that come with our sage and free advice----"watch one, do one, teach one.........." for other newbies!

 

Congrats! Looks like a great van! What engine is it?
I really like those wheels too. Are they 5lug?
Regarding the steering and suspension- plan in everything and buy the best. Moog ball joints, tie rod ends, and check the bushings- radius arms, and the pivot bushings at the I beam mounting points. Also some people here seem to talk about steering gearboxes being replaced and/or/versus being adjusted.
Keep us posted!

 

Thankyou.

It is a 5.4L. Lots of miles but runs really well and feels more powerful than my 5.4L 4X4 F150.

The wheels seem unique. I have not seen another set like them. I haven't had caps off but I think 5-lug.

Will do on the suspension and steering work. I have my heart set on a set of Bilsteins, but there is some sort of Bilstein production line reorganization and they are nationally back-ordered for many weeks. Anybody have a really good alternative? As good and reputable as Bilstein? KYB have been mentioned but I have read reviews with several buyers saying they were not the equal of the Bilsteins, or even not very good. I am willing to pay premium to get really good shocks.

I have figured out that the van can digest two large dog crates (German Shepherd/Malinois size) and two giant dog crates (enoromous dogs like Mastiffs and so forth) and still leave room for all dogs to load without shifting crates, AND for bulky equipment (bite suits and sleeves-- police k9) under a platform holding the crates. Awesome. It will also accommodate two large crates and one giant crate WITH THE TWO BUCKET PASSENGER SEATS STILL IN, and the giant dog can still load without me shifting any cargo if he knows where he is going and is happy to slip between the edge of the sliding door and the passenger side bucket to go in his crate, which he will be after just a few times being loaded.

And the crates will sit up near the ceiling with the AC blasting them, and I'll have a big space around the return air vent in back. This thing is so cool. Now if it would just quit wandering all over the road at 85 mph......

k9dr

PS-- Just to clarify for anybody that might know something about dogs out there, the GSDs and Malinois are the work dogs. I don't try to use giants for work, but sometimes I am asked to obedience train or board giants so I need to be able to carry them

 

If you've not already searched eShocks.com for the Bilsteins do that first---they have the best prices, great on drop shipping too. If the back order situation doesn't align with you need for new shocks and something interim is needed opt for something mid-range from NAPA etc---in fact almost any generic brand would work for the short term.

Not to quibble to step on any toes but ImFast and I are saying the same thing about other suspension parts to replace, just different terms. I can dig out my receipts for the radius arm & axle pivot bushings if that's helpful. Mine were ordered through Jeg's because at the time their east side retail store was still open and I'd been dealing with them since the late 60's anyway.

 

JWA Quote--"I can dig out my receipts for the radius arm & axle pivot bushings if that's helpful."

Oh heck yeah. I would love an Idiot's List of all the stuff I should buy to do a first-class job of the front end, assuming the whole thing is shot (which it probably is). Spare no expense-- steer me to the best bits and pieces, please, urethane, whatever. After reading the huge long thread about steering woes and E-vans, i am going to start at the beginning by seeing how well it steers and holds the road with complete overhaul of the friend end a la E-Van Gurus, and then consider the steering damper mod if I am still not happy with it.

I don't know of a big truck shop (you mean like commercial rigs, or just a 4wheel drive or pickup shop?), but there is a very good and reliable (but expensive!) conventional auto repair shop near my house that undoubtedly sees a lot of pickup trucks up to 1-ton (it is Texas, after all...).

k9dr

 

When I posted that I noticed that you and I must have been typing at the same exact moment- our posts are timestamped only 2minutes apart. Good times!

And you're going to have to post mighty early to beat this Fire Safety Technician!... Says my 4:18am timestamp.

 

Are you going to do the work yourself K9DR? That's a whole day. Those ball joints are impossible without the press tool. And Curse-Inducing-Difficult without a big shop vise (personal experience speaking here).

Radius arm bushings are difficult to REASSEMBLE because the new parts don't match the old ones. ( take pictures!). And if I remember correctly, the box of new parts comes with extra parts. And none of them matched.

Tie rods are easy but you'll need an alignment of course. (Fun note: on my van, I found the long [expensive] tie rod was loose, so just as I was talking myself into buying a new one [a days-long process for a 3 digit price tag] I put a wrench on it and found it was about 1.5 turns loose. Tightened = fixed!

Pivot bushings I have no experience with, but they appear to be "that was easier than I expected".... Or "Dear God please make it end...."

I've had two high-mileage E-vans and neither has had steering issues. I don't know anything about the steering gearboxes except what I've read on this forum.

 

This a friendly challenge? Coz ya know I can post in the middle of the night......

But on a serious note we did share much the same info which is good because it reinforces our respective thoughts. Good on us I say!

So onward.......

Here's a link to a JWA-authored thread that includes some backyard ball joint replacement: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...th-photos.html Also, in my PhotoBucket pages there are many more images that didn't make their way into that tread, feel free to visit and look around if only for different views: Ball Joint Photos by JWAPhotos | Photobucket

Be advised that thread shows a brake upgrade that is most likely available for dedicated E250 chassis from '97 > '07. The upgrade shown in these links was made RPO beginning model year 2008.

As ImFast says ball joints ain't rocket science HOWEVER they do require special tools and someone standing over our shoulder who has done this before. It can also be fraught with "danger" as the van needs to be SAFELY supported while all this is in progress. Depending on your available facilities, tools, experience (or access to someone with it) as well as a great source of readily available unanticipated parts PLUS someone to chase said parts when they're needed is highly advisable.

I don't want to discourage anyone from DIY but without certain things such heavier duty parts replacements can seem nearly impossible for mere mortals. In my own case a much trusted friend doing this for a living knocked it all out in about 6 hours start to finish, much of that time BS'ing between us. Plus someone had to take all these photos.

Radius arm and axle pivots are also not rocket science however there is a process to effectively remove and re-install them. If ball joints are being done then this phase is a bit easier, I can detail bits of that if interested.

Part numbers from Energy Suspension are:

Axle Pivot: 4-3121R
Radius Arm 4-7107R

(FWIW those are red in color, should also be available in blacl. IMHO I want my improvements to be visible hence red parts. )

Typically the steering box is maintenance-free although there is a lot of conversation about adjusting it. In techno-speak that's called "torque setting for sector gear pre-load" and attempted when other steering parts are worn or worn out. Honestly once the gears are worn enough to require this its time to think about a new steering box. Have details on that but don't automatically change it without good reason.

As for best quality---I'm always harping about Moog, accept no substitutes. Buy them through Amazon as that's just about the best price this side of totally free you'll find. For example the left inner tie rod end locally was $97 plus tax, Amazon shipped to the door for $52.

And as also mentioned finding a known reliable, honest and knowledgeable alignment shop is paramount to all this front end business. I search the big truck shops because our vans are almost like toys to them; far, far easier to do than their typical work load. Expect to pay a bit more BUT the end result is worth it. Unless you know for a fact an automotive shop deals with a lot of vans and heavy pick ups they tend to be a bit lacking in their depth of experience.

All right that'll get ya started for now----let us know how else we can help.

 

Ummmmmmm. I'm confused.

Maybe I should go back and confess that I am a Mechanical Idiot. I wouldn't know a tie-rod, a ball-joint, or a spindle if it ran up and bit me in the a$$ (let alone a radius arm). I will not do the work, but I may hand wrenches to the guy who will do the work and ask him questions, because I am interested in learning about this stuff.

So, I do not understand JWA's post at all, especially because it does not look like the brake upgrade in the cited thread is applicable to my E150 (and it is lightly loaded and slows down completely to my satisfaction).

But please don't try to explain now. I'll just get more confused. I'll show the van to my mechanic tomorrow and once he tells me what the van seems to need I'll come back to forum and Van Gurus and get some clarification on best suspension/steering parts to buy and where from and what to add (Hellwig sway bars while we are under there?) to the package.

k9dr

 

Good going, K9DR. That is a nice color scheme for sure. My van is a conversion with minimal running boards and I actually use them when stepping into my van. (I took the boards off my prior GMC van because they were stupid looking like a giant suction cup...)

Those were rare wheels and I really like them. They were used only on 2003-2006 5-lug vans in the 16" size when aluminum wheels were specced....the 15" aluminum wheels like on my '02 are ultra common and were used for many years--see the pic of 95CW's van.

Hoping you and yer doggie friends have many safe miles in it,
George